Village evacuated in Corfu after second fire erupts

The fire service, assisted by the police, evacuated on Tuesday a village in northeastern Corfu due to a nearby blaze that erupted out of piles of trash that have accumulated in the area of Kouloura.

The head of the island's fire service, Rizos Andreas, told state-run news agency ANA-MPA the move to empty Vigla was precautionary.

Six fire trucks and a water-dumping helicopter were fighting the blaze, the second that has started in less than 24 hours. Earlier in the day, a smaller fire leaped out of a trash heap in Aghios Stefanos but was brought under control before it could spread.

Trash has been piling up all across the pretty holiday island for the past two months after the municipal authority's contract with collectors expired, with Mayor Costas Nikolouzos saying that his hands are tied by rules restricting his ability to commission trash collection...